Dewalt 20V max tools: Brilliant move!

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e9999

e9999

Gotta get out there...
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...to make the public believe that those "20V max" batteries are higher voltage / more powerful than the usual "18V" batteries of the other manufacturers. 20V is mo powah than 18 right? Well, maybe not since apparently they really are "18V nominal" batteries per the fine print. (What fine print you ask? Well, there is the little asterisk next to the "max" but on some Dewalt pages it doesn't show anything below. Gotta dig more than that, buddy.) The "20V" and "max" referring to the fact they when fully charged they are around 20V before use -just like many/all other "18V" batteries with 18650 cells... The added "max" bit being doubly clever...

Some marketer must have gotten a big raise for that one.

Nicely done, Dewalt!


Well, if I am not missing even more fine print, that is...
 
e9999 said:
...to make the public believe that those "20V max" batteries are higher voltage / more powerful than the usual "18V" batteries of the other manufacturers. 20V is mo powah than 18 right? Well, maybe not since apparently they really are "18V nominal" batteries per the fine print. (What fine print you ask? Well, there is the little asterisk next to the "max" but on some Dewalt pages it doesn't show anything below. Gotta dig more than that, buddy.) The "20V" and "max" referring to the fact they when fully charged they are around 20V before use -just like many/all other "18V" batteries with 18650 cells... The added "max" bit being doubly clever...

Some marketer must have gotten a big raise for that one.

Nicely done, Dewalt!


Well, if I am not missing even more fine print, that is...
Click to expand...

No different than Sony Xplod amplifiers advertising 1000 peak watts when they put out 100 RMS watts.

Read reviews and watch videos before buying power tools.
 
Really skirts close to the false advertising boundary.
 
Rigger said:
Really skirts close to the false advertising boundary.
Click to expand...

Not really. Engine performance numbers are "peak" and usually only at a very narrow RPM margin, and perhaps even only when new.

Dewalt very clearly states it's max voltage during operation. I believe that's stamped on the actual batteries.
 
half k cruiser said:
I can tell you the lifetime warranty on the batteries in my Rigid tools are definitely different.
Click to expand...

last time I had a bad battery, just took it to the service center and they give me a new one ..
 
Rigid will replace bad batteries if they have been registered for their Lifetime Service Agreement but only those purchased with a tool or kit eligible for LSA can be registered (and there is a time limit). But if you shop smartly and are diligent about the registration it's a great deal since the tools are generally good and less expensive than most competitors. FWIW I just replaced two 4Ah 18V LiIon Rigid batteries which lasted 10 years -with little use admittedly-, so not bad. I had bought the tools used so had no LSA in effect but they still gave me a break on the price of the new ones.

I must say this Dewalt 20V misleading -IMO- advertisement left me with a negative impression for that company -and I have several Dewalt tools... The one thing I am intrigued by is their new system of variable voltage batteries (although they call the 18V 20V again) but there again I think they futz on the ads given that they make it seem like the "20"V Ah rating of the battery applies to the 60V as well, which is not possible. I don't know why a 60V tool would be much better than a 20V tool, in principle, though, but I remain open to be convinced. (Not that that would make me switch tool families very soon.)
 
I'm willing to bed the 18 volt isn't really a 18 volt as well. Any claims made by a company are the max you'll get under certain conditions.
 
e9999 said:
Rigid will replace bad batteries if they have been registered for their Lifetime Service Agreement but only those purchased with a tool or kit eligible for LSA can be registered (and there is a time limit). But if you shop smartly and are diligent about the registration it's a great deal since the tools are generally good and less expensive than most competitors.
Click to expand...

Exactly, when I bought mine I made sure to give the receipt and the box to the wife. She is much better about getting that stuff done then I am. In any case, I was sold when one of the guys from work took his 7 year old batteries down to the service center and got them replaced for free.
 
Li-ion cells are 4.2V fully charged and hot off the charger. So 5 cells gives you 21V.

Fully discharged is 2.8V, but even below about 3V per cell there's not too much capacity left and drawing down below 3V shortens their life. So, let's assume a conservative 3V minimum and those 5 cells gives you 15V.

There's no such thing as an 18V li-ion pack... It's just a nominal value per cell (18V/5 = 3.6V) that is the average voltage when the battery has been used for 10% or so of capacity. Remember that the 5 cells has a 21V to 15V range (cell in series).

And of course voltage doesn't tell you much either, since it is the AH of the pack that is a more useful metric of how long the tool can run IF you know how much it draws depending on your 'typical' load (e.g. for a drill are you drilling through 1" of steel or 1/32" of aluminium)...

Anyhow, it's a ton of marketing BS and they can spin numbers however they want that some folk may be basing their buy/ignore decision on.

cheers,
george.
 
Here is a blog that I fallow that explains all of the Default sorry Dewalt 18V vs 20V Dewalt 20V Max = 18V Nominally They also did it to distinguish old 18V NiCADs/NiMH system with the new 20V Max (i.e. really 18volt) system. They also sell an adaptor to use new 20V max batteries to use with there old 18V tools. Also in Europe they had to stick with naming the new Li-ion line up "18V". Europeans weren't up to the "marketing mumbo jumbo" of the 20V nominal naming. I myself use Makita, went from old 14.4V system to the not so new 18V Li-ion. Also just bought some some Milwaukee 12V 1/4" and 3/8" ratchets.
 
George is correct of course about the variation in voltage for the cells with discharge, but the point is that most companies called their LiIon (mostly or all 18650 cells I believe) a nominal "18V" and that was sufficient since all these batteries are pretty much the same voltage wise and the label is intended to broadly categorize the type of batteries and their voltage. Until Dewalt thought it smart to call theirs -the same thing- "20V max", likely to gain a marketing advantage by making people believe they are more powerful batteries somehow.
 
neat but USD600 and up... with 4 batteries though. But I bought my 2000W Honda generator for much less than that (used).
 
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